Coffee grounds

I get my buckets from my neighbor who gets pool chems in them. Pool, spa, nearby? Some restaurant food comes in big buckets. Besides the lurking at construction sites. Those lids don't fit that well either come to think of it.

These are the BEST LIDS EVER:
http://www.amazon.com/Gamma-Plastics-Vittles-Buckets-bucket/dp/B000M5SI2A/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

They're not free, but they last for years. You can move them from one bucket to another, as the buckets will wear outlong before the lids. I've had some of these lids for 6 or 7 years & they're still going strong.

I'm a little reluctant to use anything used to store chemicals for stuff I'm going to dump into my compost. I'd rather get them from some food source.

The one I have a got from a bakery department in a grocery store. They get icing in them. I keep trying at the 2 local groceries but they tell me that the deli department now uses most of the empties for storing things. They tell me to check back. Also, they close early in the day so I pretty much have to catch them in the a.m., not always possible with my schedule. I'll get another eventually. I could buy one from Home Cheapo but would rather get one free if I can. :-)

Those lids from Amazon do look nice, but I'm cheap.

Karen

Yup...that's where I go...the Bakery Dept. at the Supermarket. I know that restaurants and bakeries get a lot of them...sometimes only 3 or 4 gallons...sometimes rectangular which I like. They ARE food grade and the lids fit well. None of them, so far, have been free...more like 2.50 each which is OK with me 'cause they are clean!!!!

What about cat litter big containers. My neighbor gets his from Target. I also got a couple of large containers, with lids from a paint retailer when I was buying a sealer My neighbor has a cat and gives me one or two containers a year from his cat litter. I use them for various reasons but all garden use. I am sure I could get more if I needed them. How about a Veterinarian clinic. I will research this and get back to you....Take Care, Happy New Year....

Any restaurtant...even the little chinese place up the street get their soysauce in a 4 gallon bucket - all of their sauces - they are a great place.

You might try Craigs list for free buckets.

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/zip/

I never thought of kitty litter. How big are those buckets? I've never thought about it, but how much litter must one buy for a cat? And what is kitty litter? What kind of material? I assume it's made of something inert, but don't have a clue what that might be. (I must admit I'm not a cat person, I've always been a dog lover).

Karen

Kitty litter buckets come in various sizes, I think the largest is almost as big as a 5 gallon bucket. Kitty litter can be made of clay, newspaper or absorbent crystals - I'm not sure what the crystals are made of, though. I usually get the clumping litter which is made of bentonite clay

Thanks. I assumed it would be anything harmful if it's made for pets. I'm not some purist organic wacko but I avoid something like construction material with weird chemicals. My compost does often end up in my tomato bed.

Karen

>>(I must admit I'm not a cat person, I've always been a dog lover).

Karen -- we never were either... til about a month ago when we took in a stray baby from jsweld

now i have those litter buckets piling up. Never thought about using them for anything though.

But having Sbux fill them with spent grounds... that would be quite heavy.... guess i'd need two, to balance it out when i carried them.

I just got a bucket of litter- it says 27 pounds. I think grounds are not quite that dense, judging from the bags I've gotten. I looks like 2 or 3 gallons at most. These rectangular buckets would be space efficient for the restaurant, Maybe you could work up to a rotation of a few and they could work on one or two at a time.

My local coffee shop collects grounds for me in 1-gal buckets that were originally used to ship pastry batter. Much easier for me to carry in my wheelchair.

One on each side - otherwise, you're lopsided!

You guys are too funny! I'm going to have to work up the nerve to try Starbucks. I think that its hard for me because I don't drink coffee at all, and I've never even been in the Starbucks here. We have three within 10 minutes of my house - one stand alone and two in the two supermarkets.

For areas without a Starbucks, Seven Eleven might be a good place to try as well or even local gas station if they make coffee.

Anyplace that has a kitchen/cafeteria like a hospital or college, and they might be quite accomodating saving the grounds for you.
I find it is easier for someone to agree to something, if you provide the idea & a method to implement it. Just be consistent in picking up what they give you. They may appreciate the idea of lessening their waste materials, as well as helping in the recycling effort. These places could also be tapped for cardboard & shreddings. One stop shopping!

I just brought home 8 gals. of coffee grounds in 2 4gal buckets. I went into two starbucks with a bucket and they were delighted to fill it...were thrilled I brought buckets! Now, SBC is growing and must have coffee shops...any latte bar would be delighted!!! So, this is what I did with 2 gals of coffee grounds:

I layered shredded computer paper I picked up at a business that saves it for me with the coffee grounds and some sawdust. When I put down the paper, I sprayed it with some water, then put on the coffee. It is outdoors and will get rained on. I will turn it tomorrow or the next day to make sure all the paper gets 'stained' by the coffee....then I will take it out as mulch. Can't be easier!!! For tonight I just lay some branches on the piles...about 5 layers...it will rain tonight...

I will bet there will be worms in it by tomorrow...what could be better????

Thanks for this thread...got me off my duff and doing it!!!

Do the Mongoose roust around in your compost areas, AH?
When I lived in Kona, they were just too active in all areas of my garden.
I did prefer dealing with them, instead of the ants.
mmmmm, white pineapple with ants - NOT!

Penne....
Starbucks has a special foil bag and they have a bucket on the customer side of the counter with a sign. All you have to do is go in and pick them up if there is any. If they don't have any there and aren't busy, just ask if they have any and they will usually offer to bag you some. It is a company recycle promotion.
The grounds are usually real moist so their bags work great. I grab one everytime I am in there and stick it in the freezer until I need it in the composter.

No mongoose in the compost...big black labrador is too selfish! She loves the compost which is the Bokashi Method...she eats fruit and loves it...and fermented fruit? YUM!!!

Mongoose and pigs don't come around much because of the dog... but they are sly! Often one will get in my greenhouse and cause havoc!!!

Carol

Just an additional tip on that shredder paper -- the strips get EXTREMELY clumped up and heavy once they're wet -- I've found that using the confetti shredded paper is much easier to manipulate in your compost pile and, because it's already cut up rather small, it will break down faster...

I used to get a lot of coffee grounds from Starbucks. I actually got a big pile of them in my backyard I need to take out of the bags they have been there for some time so I'm sure they are quite moldy. I've kind of given up on my compost piles and collecting the grounds. I do however still frequent for a coffee. LOL!!!

Yes, they will mold if not frozen. I usually go ahead and spread them out in the compost pile and stir in.

Hey Shelia,

I think I'll either put them atop the compost or just spread them along the garden.

Thanks,

I was shy about asking Sbucks too, as I was never a customer. I was 'denied' a couple of times but this store changed its tune or got educated or something. So now they give it to me without blinking and are very nice. I sometimes buy a chai anyway.

By the way---my store doesn't do the foil bag thing, they just have a big bag from a big trash can. They'll give that to me. I really should write a nice note to the manager.

Well, wish me luck. Remember this is Las Vegas. I am going to the near by Starbucks to see if they give away coffee grounds to gardeners. I suspect they will question, "We have gardeners in Las Vegas?" I did mortgages in Las Vegas since the early 70's before I retired in 2003. I worked for Transamerica, Wells Fargo and Chase Manhattan. Chase the last 25 years. All the new programs came out with all the guidelines for each program. Each guideline always disclosed where the program was allowed. Always, NO NEVADA. Not until the early 90's the investors decided we were not all hookers and pimps. If I get turned away from Starbucks, no big deal. I will let you know. This is on my thing to do tomorrow....I have my list but sometimes I am a day late because my ADD takes control and does a project like last night. My DH went to work out at 4pm. I saw a stain on the cook top. I went to clean that spot and the next think I knew, when my DH came home two hours later I had disassembled the whole cook top and cleaned all I could see. I put it back in place this morning. See what my DH means by my ADD. I relieved my housekeeper from her position because one morning I dropped something under my dressing table and found months of dust. I was so disappointed because I invited her to lunch everyday she was at our home and gave her truck loads of items to sale at her church fund raising. I am now cleaning my own home and enjoying it. What happens when gardening season starts????????.

This was the next step

Get my drift. I am a ADD crazy individual..In my youth they just thought we were not well disciplined. My son is an Internist and he was describing ADD to parents to disclose their sons situation. He said to him self, "oh my God, I am describing my mother and myself". Late yesterday my DH went to work out and I was in the kitchen and went to get a spot off the cook top!!!!! One of the pictures is everything I replaced into the dining room from the Kitchen.. LOL. My DH says he will not leave me alone until spring...LOL...

Gymgirl...I noticed that about the shredded paper!!! I actually lay it out in layers over about 2 sq. yards...they don't lump much. Then DH will come by in a couple of days with the tractor and sawdust...lift up buckets of it in the front loader and drop it brusquely...spreading the stuff around. we do that with the coffee grounds in it over about a week and pretty soon is is a lovely mess full of dizzy worms, all brown and ready to go down as mulch and our minds at ease because we are being so green. Win win!!!

sk in Vegas....
I am a on and off ADD person. Kind of like a binge acoholic! Funny statement your son came to realize after he said it. Hope you find another person to help around the house, because you need to be in the garden in the spring. I love your backsplash btw.
I bet your Strbks will give you some grounds, I am sure they serve a lot of coffee there! Take your own small bucket in the car just in case they say they don't have any bags! lol!

I would "phone first"

call ahead, that way they can have the grounds ready for you.

i've gotten them both ways... in the foil #5 bag and the huge clear trash bags ... my kid works there - so i rarely have to ask. It's the milk jugs for winter sowing that he forgets all the time.

I have developed a routinewhich works well for me. I had a huge pile of leaves this year which I intended to shred. Well my shredder broke ,,, and so that takes care of that for thios year.

I have been going to starbucks every day at about 1:00 in the afternoon.

I usually get 1 or 2 foil bags of grounds. I pour these grounds on top of my pile and turn it into the next pile over . It takes about 5 minutes at most. I don"t break my back and I am adding Nitrogen to the browns.

It is also satisfying to see the steam roll up when I fork over a little bit.

Good going time!! The SB near me is hard to get in and get out and is always busy, so I don't go there much. But when we go to others here and there I never forget to check their ground bucket. We go through about 3 pots of coffee at home so I have a container on the counter to save those in, they accumulate faster than you realize.

I just called my Starbucks, and they said they have plenty already packaged, so I'm sending hubby over after he picks our daughter up from her dance. This will be my first time!

Well, I went to the back door of the Chinese restaurant to pick up some green bean scraps I had told ( told because we are friends) the young man who mans the register to save for me. His wife was sitting there cleaning them when we were finishing our lunch. He didn't tell her to save them I guess, cause they were in the garbage. Anyway, they told me to come in the kitchen and one guy was peeling potatoes, so of course I said "good, good", then saw carrot scraps in the garbage can and picked some up and told them "good" (the two I was communicating with speak only a couple of words in English). So now they have the idea of saving all veggie matter, before they were just saving broccoli and bok choy scraps. I did tell them "no meat". When we left, I saw Gao pick up a bucket/lid that was outside the back and I thought, oh yes!, bet he's gonna save all the veggie stuff for me now. I believe I ended up with nine pounds yesterday. I think with what may come in the future I will have to start a compost pile because I won't be able to keep putting it all in the compost twin tumbler.

I tried to figure up the carbon/nitrogen balance on all the stuff I've been putting in the last few days, and I believe it's turned out pretty good. Did have to add some wheat straw and cardboard/paper. Already had shredded leaves in it. It already had a little composted stuff in it, but it's really looking better now.

I've had this tumbler a couple of years and haven't done much with it, so I'm excited to finally get it going good. DH is helpful too. He's gonna help me fix up a pile site.

He laughed a few minutes ago when he said "you don't want this do you?" and started to throw away a paper towel tube. I said sure I do, I'll compost it. " We use everything don't we, don't throw anything away", he said. Yeah, plastic, can't compost that.

Sorry to be so longwinded tonight, just having fun with it.

Wow, what a haul! You GO girl!!!

Reminds me what happened to Frostweed and her DH. They had someone doing tree trimming using a mulcher on their street last year and they told him they would take what he had mulched. They asked him to dump it in the driveway. The man didn't speak real good english so he didn't get that they only wanted "one" load. They dumped quite a lot before her DH realized it and stopped them. LOL!! They don't have to buy any mulch this year!!

Hubby got back from Starbucks with two bags of grounds. He said the young lady was very excited that he wanted him and told him to come back anytime. Now that I know it is so easy, I will probably stop by once a week.

Hubby...you get a gold star!!!

We live in a rural area, so when they come by trimming amd mulching trees and bushes under the power lines , we ask them to dump it on our property. I think we ended up with 3 or 4 loads this past year. I noticed other folks had some dumped on their property, too.

Now I've just got to get smart and start spreading it around.